In an unlikely turn of events, a British author has quickly risen up the bestseller lists after a simple social media post about selling two books at a local event went viral. Vicky Ball, 48, from Colchester, went to an author event at the Galleywood Heritage Center in Chelmsford last week to launch her two novels, one entitled Powerless and the other Abandoned. Although Ms. Ball only managed to sell two copies, she took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her gratitude for being able to write books and sell them to people.
“Sold two books,” Ms. Ball wrote on X afterwards, which she described as positive because, “I've done a few events where I didn't sell any.”
2 books sold 😁😁 https://t.co/sNEaeEtnYb
— Vicky (@VickyBall3) December 3, 2024
The post quickly went viral as social media users showed the endearing side of the internet. As of the last update, the post had been viewed nearly 25 million times and liked more than 745,000 times, catapulting Ms. Ball to the top of Amazon's bestseller lists as people around the world began ordering her books.
“I feel like I'm in some kind of weird, crazy dream right now where a lot of people have bought my books,” she posted, also sharing a screenshot of Abandoned hitting No. 1 on the US charts.
I'm number 1 on one of the US charts! Incredible!! pic.twitter.com/XMG1uaeaLL
— Vicky (@VickyBall3) December 8, 2024
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'It's unbelievable'
While Powerless is a thriller, packed with twists and turns about a missing girl who returns home, Abandons is mainly about an alcoholic mother with a dark secret.
“I get messages on Instagram from people saying, 'I'm in Colombia and just bought your book'; 'I'm in Salt Lake City'; 'I'm in Belgium.' It's really amazing, it's just unbelievable,” Ms Ball told the Guardian.
Ms Ball currently works at the University of Essex and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Creative Writing. She wrote Powerless during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, mostly on weekends while teaching.
When asked for advice for aspiring authors who also wanted to write something, MS ball shared a simple suggestion.
“Just write! I'll just go along. It's like a journey and I really enjoy the process. You never know where it's going to go.”
